The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday Morning. Tuesday, November 19, 1889. THE MAKAURI BLOCK.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 379, 19 November 1889, Page 2

The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday Morning.

Tuesday, November 19, 1889. THE MAKAURI BLOCK.

Be just and fear not; Let all the ends thou aim’st at be thy country’s, Thy God’s, and truth’s.

As we told our readers in our last issue the Supreme Court has made an order which practically confirms the allocations agreed to before the Registrar, and we think we may congratulate the district at large that this long-standing case is settled.

It is only just to say that the rapid termination, since the late sittings of the Registrar, is due entirely to Mr Rees, who undertook to bring the matter to a conclusion. The litigation was commenced in 1882 by )Mr Locke, who disputed the decision of a Court which was constituted and sat on his own invocation. They promptly “ sat on ” him, and so did Judge Richmond on Mr Locke’s appeal from that judgment ; although Mr Justice Richmond reluctantly gave a judgment upholding Mr Locke’s contention, and the suit might have been continuing, and probably would have been continuing at the present time, had not the interest of Rhodes’ Trustees been purchased by one of the defendants, at an enormous cost it is true, but which purchase really put a stop to the apparently interminable litigation, and enabled the present settlement to be brought abont. It is an immense good to the district, as it will enable every holder in the block U> get an indefeasible _ title at a small expense, and without being saddled with any of Mr Locke’s prodigious Bill of Costs.

If Mr Rees never did another thing for the district, he is certainly most deserving of the thanks of persons interested, for having brought this matter to a speedy and successful issue.

The proper method for the settlement of disputed land titles is evidently such as that under notice, and we would earnestly commend to the attention of persons so unlucky as to be interested in incomplete titles, the advisability of steering clear of the rocks which wrecked Mr Locke. It is very easy to be dragged into a lawsuit, the steps in which, as well as the final result of which, are quit’s beyond the range of ordinary vision. Our advice (for which we charge ne fee) therefore is, settle with thine adversary while he is yet in the gate, lest he should take unto himself seven other—h’m—the quotation doesn’t sound as it ought, but try to settle land disputes as Makauri has been settled.